IND W vs ENG W Test: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma all scored important fifties, but that was not enough, as England’s consistent wickets saw India bowled out for 285 on Day 1 of the solitary women’s Test at Lord’s on Friday. At stumps, England were 21 for one with Maia Bouchier (17 not out) and Heather Knight (1 not out) at the crease after Kranti Goud dismissed Tammy Beaumont (2).
IND W vs ENG W: Smriti Mandhana provides resilience after India lose early wickets
Before Deepti (57) decided to resist with the last pair at the crease, Mandhana (83) and Harmanpreet (58) had done well for India in a later order. Mandhana, after two quick wickets within the first seven overs, had Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia dismissed, and India were only 37/2. Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues (35 from 38 balls) formed a brilliant 64-run partnership for the third wicket and got back in the race for India to reach 100 without losing any further wickets. The two women were the powerhouses on that front as Mandhana and Rodrigues destroyed the English defense in their styles, leaving nothing in store.
IND W vs ENG W: Jemimah Rodrigues’ stay at the crease comes to an end
The left-hander ruthlessly exploited pacer Lauren Filer, hitting her for consecutive fours before crushing spinner Sophie Ecclestone (3/68) with a six and a slog-sweep over mid-wicket. When India’s opening duo had flown to over six runs a ball, Rodrigues had twice taken Sophie Ecclestone off her line as the wicket-keeper. Ecclestone became the top wicket-taker for the country (338 wickets), beating Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335 wickets). Rodrigues’ attempt to play a wide delivery outside the pacer, Issy Wong, had disastrous consequences as the ball took her bat’s edge and hit the stumps.
IND W vs ENG W: Smriti and Harmanpreet Kaur push India to a fighting total
In the middle game phase, India required their stand to go on so they could stay in control. The visitors made the stand happen by Mandhana and Harmanpreet. The fourth-wicket partnership between India gave them 89 runs and kept the struggling England bowling unit at bay. Test debutant spinner Mady Villiers and Filer provided them with a bit of control, but Harmanpreet was quite the match for it, leading them through drives to the cover region. Mandhana was just on the way to her century; she edged one behind to Jones. Just before tea, Harmanpreet was dismissed thanks to off-spinner Villiers.
India went to tea at 202/5 and required a few more runs to set England a reasonable target on a pitch which was gradually taking some spin. A handy 45-run stand between Deepti and Sneh Rana allowed India to cross the 250 mark, but by then the England pacers had found their rhythm and India were bowled out for 285.
In the second innings, India struck early thanks to Kranti Goud, who dismissed Tammy Beaumont for only two runs in her final test. The hosts finished the day with 21 runs on the board and trail by 264 runs.Â
